Chapter 18
After lunch, everyone gathered for a chat.
Celeste strolled downstairs. She enjoyed a few nibbles of mini–cakes and
sipping on a hint of low–alcohol fruit wine.
As she turned to head back upstairs, she unexpectedly bumped into a
bunch of folks. They were none other than those toffs who like flattering to
Melville family.
Celeste was really not in the mood to deal with them. She planned to simply
sidestep and make her way upstairs.
However, these troublemakers didn’t intend to let her leave so easily.
“Celeste, word on the street is you’ve moved out of Melville family.”
Celeste turned to face them, raising an eyebrow. “So what?”
“We just made a little wager on how long it’ll take for you to move back this
time,” they snickered.
“So, how many days did you guys guess it would take me to move back?”
Celeste asked with curiosity.
“Three days.”
“No, Gavin’s betting on tonight!”
Celeste chuckled, “well, you might be disappointed then.”
She flashed a sneer and said in a cool, firm voice, “I’m betting for a
lifetime.”
As she turned to go upstairs, she collided with Kendric, who was
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descending from the upper floor. She had no idea how long he’d been standing
behind her or how much of that conversation he’d overheard.
a the ga
Anyway, he slowly between them, his face gloomy.
Then, he snatched her wrist. Celeste couldn’t break free as he assertively
ushered her into the adjacent lounge.
Noticing them coming in, the lounge’s occupants quickly dispersed. The
door was swiftly shut, and there were only them two in the room.
Her wrist was still in his grasp,
and with a gentle tug, she was drawn closer
to his embrace.
“A lifetime, huh?”
Celeste was feeling quite exasperated. She had never been one for loud
arguments, and she had hoped to handle this breakup with a calm
conversation.
But judging by Kendric’s current behavior, it seemed like he had no
intention of resolving things peacefully.
He gripped her chin, “you’ve been thinking about breakup for a while,
haven’t you?”
Celeste knew that, in reality, whether Kendric agreed or not, breaking up
was inevitable.
He is a proud man. There is no way he’d keep a woman around who no
longer loves him and constantly gives him cold shoulders.
“So, a few days running away from me, and you’ve grew bolder.”
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Celeste broke away from his grip. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.
I’m leaving.”
Kendric surely won’t let her leave so easily. “I’ll come to get you in three
days, and you better bring all your stuff back… vacate that tiny apartment.”
Initially, Celeste wondered why he was giving her three days, but then she
realized it was probably because he was swamped with work. He only had time
three days later.
She felt a bit relieved, grateful that his work came before her, giving her
these extra three days…
Later that night, after the party ended, Kendric’s chauffeur dropped her off
at her apartment.
It was some kind of hypocritical mercy from Kendric.
If Celeste yearned for this freedom, he didn’t mind showing his generosity,
but this freedom was just an illusion. Whenever he pleased, he could close the
door to that freedom.
“You can try out this kind of life, but don’t forget where you truly belong.”
“WHERE I TRULY BELONG?!”
“Why should I have to be by your side?”
Celeste knew that provoking him could easily cost her even the freedom of
the next three days, but she couldn’t hold back any more.
“Why can you just up and leave whenever you want, but I can’t?!”
“Not everything in this world comes equal.” he said, “there are things I can
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do, while you can’t.”
The fire in Celeste’s heart gradually died down, and her limbs turned
feeble.
At this moment, she realized that in Kendric’s mind, she had never been in
an equal position with him.
Celeste stood frozen in place. She didn’t snap out of the daze until Kendric
opened the door and left.
The night was a wilted tulip, dangerously luring those shattered dreams.
A chilly breeze blew in from the open balcony, and she woke up, blinking
her eyes.
She slowly sat back onto the couch, covered her face, and started sobbing.
Her voice grew louder and louder, and finally she burst out crying.
Celeste just couldn’t fathom why, after all her hard work and finally getting
her life back on track, he ruined her hope again.
He had stormed into her life like an unexpected hurricane, forcibly
sweeping away all her happiness.
Celeste closed her eyes, and every part of her body screamed exhaustion.
She had daydreamed about her future, her future with Kendric. They would
get married and start a family. When they got older, when Kendric could swap
his hectic work, they could to travel around the world.
She had everything planned out perfectly for their life, including what they
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should be doing at each stage. They were gonna live a happy life like those in
fairy tales.
But real life isn’t like a fairy tale, and in Kendric’s life plan, she wasn’t even
a character.
He had once planned to take full control of the company in three years, and
he made it.
To reach the very top of his industry, and he made it.
To turn the company into an international brand, again, he made it.
Flowers and applause were always around him, but poor Celeste went from being “Kendric’s fiancée” at the start to being labeled as “the woman clinging to
Kendric.”
He proceeded so far, so fast, but he seemed to forget to bring her along.
Celeste thought he would be relieved to hear the “break up.”
She expected him to end their relationship like he did in the cutthroat
world of business–quick and decisive.
Celeste slumped on the couch, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, her mind
gradually becoming a blur…
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